Golf vs Focus

So, I am resigned to the fact that I need a car due to an impending birth and new job in which I will be unable to commute by bicycle 365 days a year.

The plan is to lease a car, over 36 months mainly due to a comprehensive warranty and fewer hassles.

I've narrowed my options down to either a basic level Golf or Focus, does anyone have any opinions on these choices. My Uncle however, (who's a mechanic), has advised my to 'go japanese', so I suppose Toyota or Honda........

Tried a golf when we were looking to replace our focus but wasn't impressed with the handling, I also felt like it wasn't the best for space inside.
Ended up buying a newer focus. Handles better, slightly cheaper and feels like there more room in it.

The plan is to lease a car, over 36 months mainly due to a comprehensive warranty and fewer hassles

Very expensive thing to do, but if you like then fine. If you are worried about bills then buy a 3 year old car, put eight grand in the bank, and then in three years time when it probably hasn't gone wrong, you can almost certainly buy two extremely nice bikes.

Re the cars, I test drove both. Golf was nicer inside, felt a lot more classy, Focus may have handled better but since I drive lots of motorway I couldn't really care. It's not like Golfs are a liability on windy roads, they're perfectly decent.

What spec level/engine? The smaller Focus petrol engines are pretty nasty. The latest models don't make as good use of their space as the Mk1 did but they're still inexplicably big inside compared to most of the competition.

The 2.0 diesel wedged into the Focus is a very nice combo though! Not so easy to find though, I gave up when I was shopping.

just had a new focus as a hire car back from heathrow last night, and was really impressed, not a massive ford fan but it was great to drive for that type of car. 1.6tdci engine was nippy and sounded quite good for a diesel, good chassis so was nice to drive on the back roads home from the motorway. good seats, lots of support and USB/line-in which is nice
tbh go and drive them both, and if possible take them for a longer drive to test seats etc.

Other one to consider is the new kia cee'd, really good for the money and much better warranty, I would have one over the focus for commuting in.

for what it's worth I didn't like the new golf when I tried one, not worth the premium over the ford.

Used to be a v dub fan,had a hired Mk6 Golf for a couple of weeks but drive and own a Focus. The Golf looks nicer sat on your driveway,but just doesn`t drive aswell as the Focus.

I used to own a Mk 1 2.0 litre Focus and contrary to Northwind I found the smaller petrols not much slower and to be a sweeter unit.Basic 1.6 is all you need.

I recently drove the new shape Foucus.More mature and very refined,but not quite as much fun as the mark 1 and 2.The 1.6 tdci drives well too but older ones have a reputation for dpf and turbo problems which is why I went for a petrol.

Buy a three year old example for about 7.5K save yourself a small fortune

hardly apples for apples comparison.... ones a brand new example that would have guaranteed nil expenditure other than the repayment and insurance, the other is stumping up the money, purchasing an older car that will undoubtedly incur expense and run the risk of failure without warranty.

My mate has just picked up her new lease car today. She gets a brand new mid spec Toyota Yaris every three years, fully serviced, taxed and insured for £190 a month. Predictable, easy motoring.

If I was going to buy a car I would have to get a loan of around 5 grand to get anything half decent, and when I sell it I will lose a chunk of my investment. For example buy a focus for 5 grand and sell it in 3 years for 1k, losing money.

Leasing seems like an option as I'd be losing money if I bought anyway no?

Or maybe I should just buy a 500 quid banger and deal with the consequnces.

I had a 1.6 Focus, nice car around town but underpowered for longer journeys when laden. Should have gone for one with a bigger engine. It got written off in a crash (not my fault!) and have since bought a 2nd hand Megane, but would be happy to get another Focus.

I have a Golf match 2.0tdi blue motion. Got to say, I love it. Extremely lively, decent handling, good economy (with me driving, 48mpg and I thrash the nuts off it, 36 mile country road commute) good equipment levels and roomy enough for 4 or 2 plus bikes. I actually prefere it to the A4 s line I replaced with it.

I have a Golf match 2.0tdi blue motion. Got to say, I love it. Extremely lively, decent handling, good economy (with me driving, 48mpg and I thrash the nuts off it, 36 mile country road commute) good equipment levels and roomy enough for 4 or 2 plus bikes. I actually prefere it to the A4 s line I replaced with it.

Finacee's company car is a Golf Bluemotion and its boring inside and out. My sister has a diesel 170bhp thing and that's slightly less boring. My friend is a VAG mechanic and reckons they are over complicated and poorly designed he drives a Honda. In all honesty I can't see the attraction with golfs I'd feel a bit mugged at the asking prices. I've had a focus as a hire care and it was ok for what it was.

hardly apples for apples comparison.... ones a brand new example that would have guaranteed nil expenditure other than the repayment and insurance, the other is stumping up the money, purchasing an older car that will undoubtedly incur expense and run the risk of failure without warranty.

Unless the failure is the size of something the Mayans would've predicted, there's absolutely no way that it would use up the savings made from buying the older car.

In effect the OP would be paying (something like) £8k for a warranty, how is that better than spending a few hundred a year (likely at worst) on repairs? The car still goes to the same garage (although you have the choice of which one when you're paying) and is still off the road for the same length of time.

From someone who's had one, avoid high mileage(60K+) Focus 1.6 TDCI's. Ours had the standard gasket leak around no.3 injector which then turns the oil sludgy and eventually kills the turbo. Also the DPF needs new cleaning fluid at 75K which is a dealer job. Cam belts are supposed to be good for 125k but don't believe it.

It's splitting hairs between a Golf and a Focus. I think the Golf is a bi nicer (Classier) inside and feels a bit more solid, but the Focus handles better and feels lighter and peppier. The decider for me was doing the sums: For the same age and the same milage, a focus was £1500+ cheaper. The Golf may have a higher % residual value, but it still looses more actual dosh because it costs more (Secondhand I mean) So we bought a Focus
Ours is a 2005 one, I don't like the newer Focus, I think the interior looks like a c1988 digital watch. Cheap.
Would I have another? Maybe, but we have no intention of swapping this one at all. We've had it 3.5 years and I can see us keeping it another 3.
In the nearly 13 years we've been together, Mrs PP and I have only had 3 cars, but about a dozen motorbikes, because cars are mostly just white goods these days.